"How is it honorable for a man to post accusations in an open forum rather than first confronting the alleged perpetrator?"      Personally, the way I see it, if someone has a problem with something someone else is doing, he can stand on the tallest cylinder and shout it from the rooftops. If he doesn't feel like tracking the fellow down and confronting him with it, the onus to do so is certainly not on him.      If he were to sneak around behind the offender's back and whisper all sorts of nasty things about him, without giving the fellow the opportunity to respond, then he would be behaving like a dishonorable sleen.      Is it dishonorable to speak publicly about a crime without first speaking to the accused in person?      Uh, that kind of depends upon what the person is doing wrong, doesn't it? If the person was, say, in the process of murdering someone, then it would make more sense to go straight to the police. Or take suitable action to prevent the wrong-doing from continuing. Like, say, posting info about it in...a public forum, perhaps?      To inform those who might be concerned about it, so that they might attempt to take some action?      "How can it be dishonorable to share books with people who have difficulty obtaining them to read?"      It can be dishonorable if, by doing so, the party in question is:           (((( BREAKING THE LAW ))))      Especially when that person is making copies of someone else's property and giving it away for free to people. If you don't think that is against the law, simply get a couple of VCRs, dupe off a couple of hundred copies of DUMBO, and set up a little stand in front of Disneyland giving them away for free to all the kids who visit the park. Then see what happens. For the record, when it comes to copyright infringement, don't mess with the Mouse. I have it on the highest authority that there is a secret section of every Disney Theme park known as "Lawsuit-Land."      Norman does not write for free; he sells his work to publishers, who then produce books from his writing and sell them to book stores, who sell them to the public. Norman receives residuals and royalties on every one of his books, which are still in print, which are sold. You give them away, and you are taking money right out of his pocket. And those are not the kind of fans, or admirers, that he wants.      "But that same information can be gleaned from reading websites about Gor!"      Yes, and if all that is needed or wanted is the info which is already on websites, why distribute illegal copies of the books at all? Well, the answer is obvious. Information from the Gor books is NOT the ENTIRE TEXT of the Gor books. Fans can write all the discussions, comments, interpretations and plot break-downs on the books they want to. What they are not allowed to do, under law, is copy the books and hand them out to anyone who asks for them.      "Copy-right." "Right to copy." See the connection?      "But those zipped files of the Gor books have been around on web sites for a long time. It is not as if anyone is claiming that it is not Norman's work. And it is not for sale!"      Oh my gosh! You're right! If other people break the law, then it must be okay for everyone to do it!      We all flirt with copyright law every day, everytime we log onto the net, everytime we draft a web page. Copyright is everywhere, particularly when you dealing with subjects based upon another person's work, i.e the Gor books. It is almost impossible not to cross that line, a little, at times. Occasionally you can even get away with minor infractions. But when you make unauthorized copies of those books, and pass them out, you are violating the laws which protect that work in a particularly grievous and harmful way. There is no way around it. It is cut-and-dried. Copies of novels, in electronic form, distributed without the author's permission, are absolutely, irrefutably illegal.      The facts are indisputable: if someone has the permission of John Norman and his agents to distribute electronic copies of his work, then that person has nothing to be concerned about. His honor, and good name, are therefore quite intact.      But if he does not have such permission, he is breaking the law in a big way, and doing a rather serious disservice to John Norman in the process. Becoming Gorean by Greylin `//olffe Part V - Honour      There has been much going on in the world, and many things which have happened throughout the online "world of Gor". Ultimately, what I have seen intermingled with the reporting of facts and (in some cases rather loudly voiced) opinions, is a question of the basic foundation of everything I consider Gorean. That is a question of Honour.      To define:      Honour 1 a : good name or public esteem : b : a showing of usually merited respect      Honesty, Integrity, Duty, Respect and above all, Honour. This has been said before, by myself, and men more worthy of the title Gorean than I. And above all, Honour. You cannot be true to yourself, or your society, without Honour. And above all, Honour. Respect is given to one who shows Honour in how he conducts his life and interacts with those around him. And above all, Honour. Actions which turn questionable in nature, causing others to raise an eyebrow and call attention to those actions, show the lack of Honour, the lack of respect for life and lifestyle.      There is no excuse, there is no cause, there is no reason that can support a lack of honourable action. The selfish, and greedy, do not have any respect for life, but instead only work to further themselves at the cost of all else around them. They have no integrity, are not willing to accept what the society demands, all because they just don't like it. They dishonour those who hold the attributes of Honesty, Integrity, Duty, Respect...by their actions and words, they scoff at us who have done what we can to live our lives based on these words, these ideals. For they are more than just words to us. They are the core of our being, they are the foundation of our lives and lifestyle.      ...and above all, Honour.      There is nothing higher than to be looked at by other men and be called one of Honour, to be respected by those around you because of this one core personal trait. It is Honour which calls us together, Honour which binds us as a brotherhood, Honour which holds our society together. For if Honour should fail, society will fall. Honour is the key element, it is that which is held most dear. I wish all well. Greylin `//olffe Humanity lost.... or just misplaced?      by Dangruscurvzzz      Yesterday I took part in an exhilirating spontaneous discussion on Gor. Much of the discussing was on the part of the slaves in the room, while the Free would occasionally interject a comment here and there. One "slave" in particular was quick to post quote after quote from the books. While others were sharing opinions, this one girl kept stating "in Captive, this slave behaved this way, In Slavegirl, that slave did this." I could see the frustration building in the others in the room as they struggled to learn and to share their own thoughts, while this person continued to recite from the sacred scrolls. Finally, I stated that this journey is not about modeling ourselves after two-dimensional characters in fictional stories. It is about looking deeper to understand the philosophies which motivate these characters to behave the way they do. I've always seen the characters as a sort of "visual aid" which Norman uses to demonstrate his theories of the natural order. The aforementioned slave grumbled about being misunderstood and eventually left the discussion.      Today it was brought to my attention that this same slave quoted my own words on a public board. I chuckled and wondered if she had had some sort of epiphany overnight.... or if she was simply doing what she did best... parroting another's words instead of thinking on her own. Without hesitation, I assumed the latter.      Then.... I stopped and wondered why I made that assumption.      Recently, someone whom I'd not seen in some time said to me, "Dangrus, you have changed. You used to be softer..."      I know this is true. How can anyone make this journey and not be changed in some way? I am more cynical than I was when I entered Gor. More suspicious of people's motives. I know that I have found strengths within myself I never knew I had. But I also know that I am in danger of losing something precious to me.... My humanity.       There are two forces at work here.      One is the essential truths of Norman's philosophies. Through them I find strengths and a feeling of being "centered." Where once I felt adrift in this society of equality, now I find myself securely anchored in the reality of the natural order. That is something I will be eternally thankful for.      The other is this online atmosphere. The cavalier attitude toward the feelings of others that is so prevalent here. The blatant cruelty and downright meanness with which people treat each other. I do not believe people come here that way. I think this medium brings that out. The illusion of safety that annonymity affords us gives some free reign to do things they cannot (or would not have the nerve to) do in real life.      A friend told me once that although there is much deceit online, the way people behave here is a more accurate reflection of a person's true character than real life. We are not held accountable by any laws online. We are as honest or dishonest here as we choose to be. It is only our own personal honor that governs us. For some, that is the only way we know to be... for many, that is an impossible task. In real life, you get one name. One face. If you have a dispute with someone you have two choices... confront them and settle it or walk away and move on with your life. You cannot slip on a disguise and harrass them. You cannot change your name and start over as if nothing happened. Strange. One of the mainstays of the Gorean philosophy is to take responsibility for your own actions and yet here, where people are so quick to claim the title of "Gorean" it rarely happens. The pervasive attitude of "who cares, it's only online," spreads like a cancer, poisoning for many what could be a wondrous experience.      When we lose sight of the people, the human beings behind the names on the screen... we lose something of our own humanity.      I know that deep within me beats the same heart I came here with. A strong heart that is loving and kind and compassionate. It is just no longer on my sleeve, but tucked down deep within the walls I have erected to protect it. It is more carefully guarded, but it is still there.      We each have our own struggles. Mine is to use the strengths I have found within to protect the softer heart of me. Oh, I still love the same way I fight for what I believe is right.... with every fiber of my being. Only now, I am more discerning about whom I care for and trust, just as I carefully choose my battles. I try to maintain my perspective.      Because if the day comes when I see only names on my screen.... if I ever feel the temptation to lie or cheat or manipulate those names just because I can.... if the time ever comes when I cannot reach inside and feel my own humanity.... that will be the day I know that I have stayed here too long.      Becoming Gorean should make one more human..... not less. Reading the books is only the prelude. The real journey begins after that. The journey into yourself.      To those whom I have hurt with my self-protective cynicism,I apologize. To those whom I have welcomed into my heart, know that you will always have a home there.      To those who are still searching for Gor... there is only one place to look.... inside. I wish you well, Dangrus